1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a basketball goal system and, in particular, to a collapsible basketball rim that can be used with a basketball goal system.
2. Description of Related Art
As the game of basketball has increased in popularity, a large number of people have purchased basketball systems for use at their homes. For example, consumers may be able to purchase basketball systems directly from the manufacturer. The cost to ship the basketball system from the manufacturer to the consumer, however, is often very significant because conventional basketball systems are large and bulky. In particular, conventional basketball systems typically include a backboard that has a width of at least 36 inches, a basketball rim or hoop, a support pole to support the backboard and rim ten (10) feet above a playing surface, and a base to support the basketball system. The base may be part of a portable basketball system that allows the system to be moved or transported. The base may also be part of an in-ground or permanent basketball system. These components require a large amount of space, which requires a large shipping container, and that increases the costs to ship the basketball system to the consumer.
Conventional basketball systems are marketed to consumers through retail stores such as sporting goods stores. The cost to ship these conventional basketball systems to retail stores is also quite significant because of the large size of the systems. In addition, the manufacturer and retail stores often store a number of basketball systems and the large size of the packaging makes storing the systems very difficult. For example, if the basketball system is packaged in a large box, then the large size of the box may prevent stacking more than a few of the systems in a single stack. Additionally, the large box size may prevent more than a few of the basketball systems from being stored on conventional shelving. The large size of the box may also discourage or prevent many consumers from purchasing the basketball system. For example, the difficulty in moving the box within the store to the checkout stand, transporting the basketball system to the consumer's home, and then positioning the basketball system in the desired location at the home may discourage or prevent consumers from purchasing a conventional basketball system.
It is also known to ship conventional basketball systems in customized packaging. The awkward shapes and sizes of the customized packaging, however, may prevent efficient storage and transport of the basketball systems. For example, irregularly shaped boxes typically cannot be stacked or stored in a warehouse or shipping container without creating a large amount of unused and wasted spaced. The irregularly shaped boxes may also be very difficult, if not impossible, to effectively stack or align. In addition, because the packaging is not standard, conventional shelves and shipping containers may not efficiently store or receive the packaging. Further, the customized packaging generally increases the cost of the basketball system because customized packaging is typically more expensive than conventional packaging.
Conventional basketball systems may also package the rim and backboard in one box or package, and the pole and base in another package. Disadvantageously, this requires shipping and handling of two separate packages, and also requires the retailer to stock two separate items, as well as requiring the consumer to carry home two separate packages. Shipping the basketball system in two different packages also increases the difficulty in tracking the packages, increases the chances that a package may be lost or stolen, and shipping two separate packages is often more expensive that shipping a larger single package.
The basketball rim used in connection with conventional basketball systems is particularly difficult to pack and ship because the large circular rim requires a large amount of space. Conventional basketball rims have an inside diameter of 18 inches and a back plate is attached at a 90° angle to the rear portion of the rim. The back plate typically has a length of at least four (4) inches and it extends generally perpendicular from the plane containing the rim. This creates a generally “L”-shaped structure that is difficult to package and the rim typically creates a large unused space within the packaging.
In order to decrease the size of the packaging, a recess that is sized and configured to receive the back plate of the rim may be formed in the base of conventional portable basketball systems. In particular, portable basketball systems often include a base that can be filled with ballast materials such as sand or water in order to maintain the basketball system in a generally stationary or fixed position while playing the game of basketball. The base is typically constructed from plastic and it has a large size to contain the desired amount of ballast material. It is known to create a recess in the ballast filled base and the rim back plate is stored within the recess when the basketball system is being shipped. Undesirably, the recess reduces the volume of the ballast filled base and that limits the amount of ballast material that can be placed in the base. The recess also increases the cost and difficulty to manufacture the base.